Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, 2012.
Directed by Stewart Hendler.
Starring Tom Green, Anna Popplewell, Enisha Brewster, Osric Chau, Kat De Lieva, Mike Dopud, Ayelet Zurer and Daniel Cudmore.
SYNOPSIS:
A conflicted military rookie, Thomas Lasky, is thrown in to heat of battle deep in the Halo universe when his training academy is unexpectedly ambushed by lethal alien attackers.
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn follows the story of Thomas Lasky (Tom Green), a headstrong but conscientious cadet attending a military academy wrestling with the moral implications of his presence in the military, particularly as it appears he and his fellow cadets are being trained to butcher ‘insurrectionist’ humans rather than the Halo universe’s main antagonist, the extraterrestrial covenant.
Few if any video game tie-ins ever truly manage to adequately capture the spirit of their source material as gamers want, but Halo 4 does at least respect the games on which is it based and does decent job of rising to the challenge of placating the game’s rabid fan base. Despite a relatively meagre budget, the film features some outstanding CGI visuals and is infused, particularly in its final third, with a sense of foreboding that distinctly ‘feels’ like the Halo universe. Fans are catered for with the appearance of some classic characters and creatures from the game’s universe as the tension is ratcheted up and it’s clear that Halo 4 is more of a labour of love by genuine enthusiasts than many a video game movie adaptation.
Unfortunately the wider movie going audience are unlikely to find enough in this film to warrant a recommendation. Halo 4 was originally a series of five fifteen minute shorts and feels disjointed and ‘cheaper’ than a film based on such an iconic franchise should when stitched together as a complete movie. The opening segments are particularly sluggish, as we are introduced to several of Lasky’s fellow cadets, none of whom are fleshed out with enough vigour to engage the audience.
Combined as one feature film, Halo 4 runs around 80 minutes and would’ve worked better as an all action exercise in fan service rather than as a confused attempt to fuse a coming of age story with the guns and carnage expected of a Halo movie. The film’s budget may have forced the cheaper, contemplative first half in which many classic tropes of the genre are wheeled out, including the tactically naive cadet, the love interest who sees beyond military incompetence and confusion about whether the cause is really worth fighting for.
These themes have been explored in much greater depth and far more entertainingly by other films which were clearly influences on Halo 4, notably Starship Troopers, but Halo 4 lacks Paul Verhoeven’s trademark wit and depth. There is little here for the casual viewer and even ardent Halo fans may find the film’s early foray in to drama concerning essentially unknown grunts to be tiresome. There is every chance that one day a great film will be made based in the Halo Universe – Peter Jackson was once attached to direct a big budget adaptation that now languishes in development hell – but sadly Halo 4 does not deliver on its promise and would be recommended to ardent Halo fans only.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Ryan O’Neill
Originally published May 25, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
